Housing Affordability Index Largest Monthly Drop in Four Years; Market Reached Bottom?

The National Association of Realtors’ Housing Affordability Index remained high in May (171.6%) by historical standards (see chart above, data here), but fell by 7.2 percentage points from April’s record high of 178.8%, mostly because of the increase in the median home price from $166,000 in April to $172,900 in May.

The 7.2 point May decline was the largest monthly drop in the HAI in four years, providing further evidence that the housing market may have reached a bottom. Watch for the HAI to continue to fall this year, as both home prices and mortgage rates rise and the real estate market continues to recover.

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About Mark J. Perry 262 Articles

Affiliation: University of Michigan

Dr. Mark J. Perry is a professor of economics and finance in the School of Management at the Flint campus of the University of Michigan.

He holds two graduate degrees in economics (M.A. and Ph.D.) from George Mason University in Washington, D.C. and an MBA degree in finance from the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota.

Since 1997, Professor Perry has been a member of the Board of Scholars for the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, a nonpartisan research and public policy institute in Michigan.

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